Highlight News

Australia's Mark Webber has lost his lead in the Formula One World Championship after a disastrous rain-soaked Korean Grand Prix for the Red Bull team.

Webber lined up behind teammate Sebastian Vettel at the head of the grid, with the race eventually starting under the safety car due to the wet conditions. Vettel led away, but behind him Webber got it wrong in the slippery conditions and hit the wall on lap 19.

"It was totally my fault, I got on the kerb on the exit of Turn 12 and it was a very slow-motion moment off the back of that kerb - it was my mistake and it wasn't my day," Webber said.

"I thought I'd managed to catch it, but I lost the car and made contact with the wall, nothing too heavy, but it was enough to bring the car back to the other side of the track and then Nico Rosberg hit me, which wrecked his race as well. Conditions were okay by the time we were racing - on the edge, but okay. The result doesn't help me with the Championship, but I can absolutely still win it; this was only my second non-finish of the year."

Red Bull's day went from bad to worse when Vettel's engine gave up, handing the win to Ferrari's Fernando Alonso who now leads the drivers' championship. Britain's Lewis Hamilton also put himself back in title contention with a strong second place ahead the other Ferrari of Felipe Massa.

All drivers started on Bridgestone's wet weather Potenza rubber before gradually changing to the intermediate tyre as conditions improved throughout the race.

"Both the intermediate and wet tyre performed very well and we saw Fernando manage his tyres excellently to maintain good pace right to the finish line," said Hirohide Hamashima, Bridgestone's Director of Motorsport Tyre Development.

"This was Bridgestone's first and last Korean Grand Prix and I will be proud of the performance of all of our specifications of tyres over the weekend here in Yeongam."

There are just two races left in the championship - the Brazilian Grand Prix in Sao Paulo and the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

1.

Fernando Alonso (Sp)

Ferrari

231 points

2.

Mark Webber (Aus)

Red Bull

220

3.

Lewis Hamilton (GB)

McLaren

210

4.

Sebastian Vettel (Ger)

Red Bull

206

BITTER SWEET WEEKEND FOR TANDER

It was a weekend full of thrills, spills and controversy at the Surfers Paradise 600 with Garth Tander emerging with a win from race one - but a broken car from race two.

Saturday's race was chaotic, with numerous accidents around the tight street circuit. V8 Supercars Championship leader James Courtney was controversially penalised while leading the race, allowing Tander in the Bridgestone-backed Holden Racing Team car to take the win.

However, Sunday's second 300-kilometre event wasn't so kind to the HRT Commodore with Tander making an uncharacteristic error at the first chicane and crashing into the wall.

"It wasn't like me. I was trying to brake late because Lee Holdsworth was coming out of the pit lane and I knew that they were on our strategy," Tander said.

"I really don't know how bad the car is but I don't think there is anything structural. The boys in our team don't deserve this. It was a reasonable hit so there will be some soreness under there somewhere."

The team now faces a race against time to get the car ready for races 21 and 22 of the 26-race Championship at Symmons Plains in two weeks.

Team Vodafone's Jamie Whincup won Sunday's race, narrowing the gap to championship leader Courtney to just 71 points.